REINCARNATION, past life evidence, PART 1 & 2

This too shall pass

Once a King called upon all of his wise men and asked them,
"Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every
circumstance, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me
when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?"
All wise men got puzzled by King's question. One answer for all questions?
Something that works everywhere, in every situation? In every joy, every
sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought.

After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed
to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on
paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity.
Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems
to be no way, only then he'll have to see it. The King put the papers under
his Diamond ring.

After a few days, the neighbours attacked the Kingdom. It was a collective
surprise attack of the King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but
lost the battle. King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following
him. His horse took him far away in the Jungle. He could hear many troops
of horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer.
Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road
was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet
deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished.and he could not return
because it was a small road. The sound of enemy's horses was approaching
fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he
remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read
the message. The message was very small but very great. The message was – "
This too will pass."

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! It too
will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the
mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure
have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days
of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. Calm come on his
face.
He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural
beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of
his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He
relaxed and forgot about those following him.

After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy
coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and
were not on that path. The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and
fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he
returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at
the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a
festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from
every corner.
People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am
one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me.:

With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.
Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him
of the message. He opened it and read it again: "This too will pass" He
became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he
moved to a state of utter humbleness.

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours.
The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours.
You are just a watcher. Everything passes by
We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes.
Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own
life.. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the
moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass
away. Life just passes away. There were friends in the past. They have
gone. There are friends today. They too will go. There will be new friends
tomorrow. They too will go. There were enemies in the past. They have gone.
There may be enemies in the present. They too will go. There will be new
enemies tomorrow and..they too will go.

There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the
law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all
the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows.
All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will
pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two
faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true
face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you,
which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable?
It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change.

Experience it, Understand the spiritual dimension behind this

On Buddhism & the various sects

How to deal with difficult people

Value creation life

While money is important

in sustaining life,

living a value-creating life

is much more important.

When internal collaboration is bad

The problem wasn't collaboration is good or bad.

Research found that novice teams actually benefited from exchanging ideas with peers.

Rather, the challenge is determining when it makes sense and when it doesnt.

More often, managers ask how can we get people to collaborate more. That's the wrong question!

A better question would be, "Will collaboration on this project create or destroy value?"

In fact, to collaborate well is to know when not to do it.

Happiness is a by-product of life

"Happiness is a by-product of life,

not necessarily something to look for.

It's about being honest with yourself

and knowing what feels right inside.

I know people who find joy in seeing

their children grow up or

in engaging hobby such as hiking.

And they're happy with a regular job

because it helps to feed their

source of joy & passion.

Not everyone is going to start a company,

and that's perfectly okay.

It's people with no passion at all

that become the walking dead."

- Ms O'Shaughnessy.

Second trip to Malacca

I still love visiting Malacca.. for its food, peace & authentic buildings.. Hope the new developments in the area will not spoilt its identity..

(pic is Durian Cendol)

Inspiring movie for the present recession

just watched Kit Kittredge, An American Girl DVD.. it's such an inspiring movie especially for tis recession.. The movie is set during the 1930's Great Depression.. must watch if u want to be motivated! ;-)

Susan Boyle Wows B'way Star

Last Kampong in Singapore

Bakery Stuff - in Malacca

Company Name: King Hin Plastic Enterprise.

Address: 89, Jalan Temenggong, 75000, Melaka.

Near the old wet market.

note: The store looks like Singapore's Red Hat in terms of its setup and packaging.

Job Search sites in Singapore

If u know of any other job search sites, pls contribute to this list. Thanks.

Enlighten up movie

Butterfly flower?

I wished i know what flower it is.. but it looks like a butterfly when the flowers open up during the day and close after sunset.. It gives me a warm, calm and beautiful feeling..

If someone knows what flower or plant it is, please let me know.. ;-)

Now, for the first time in my life, i borrowed a library book on gardening.. heehee.. ;P

Cupcakes - makes me hungry already..

These are delicious cupcakes made by my beloved wife.. ;-)

Slumdog millionaire soundtrack - Latika's Theme

Somehow this song gives me a calm yet a little sad kind of mood.. And having watched the movie with this song, it is perfect to the ears..

Cookery Schools in Singapore

Absolute and relative happiness

Everyone has a unique mission that only he/she can to fulfill. Everytime I feel down or lost in my work, thinking of finding a new job, I would remind myself sensei's guidance:

"For those of you who have not yet decided your future course, please concentrate your energies on the things you need to accomplish right now. You will discover your path as you keep searching, chanting earnestly to find your direction, and seeking advice and guidance from those around you."

Also, there's a difference between relative happiness and absolute happiness. Relative happiness is the kind of joy we felt when we achieve something, like our goals, or when our desires are satisfied. For example, when I got a pay raise, bought a new dress, strike lottery, etc. These are relative happiness because they are short-term and we can easily fall into unhappiness the next moment.

As for absolute happines, it is the life state that is not affected by our environment or changing circumstances. It is about establishing a life state from within that has to confidence to overcome any problem or sufferings, having faith that by chanting, we will be able to manifest the wisdom and life force of our buddhahood to overcome them. Which means absolute happines = life state of buddhahood.

President Ikeda said:
"A strong person is happy. At the same time, strength is relative; it depends on the relationship between one's life force and the environment. If your life force is weak and frail, then even minor problems will cause you to fret and become overwhelmed, ending you in deadlock. This will only make you miserable…"

So we should always work towards achieving absolute happiness.

above, emailed to me by a good friend, SP.

ways to stay healthy!